Transcript The Age of Imperialism (1850 – 1914)

The Age of
Imperialism
(1850 – 1914)
Imperialism:
building empires by
expanding territory
and gaining colonies
Economic Origins of
Imperialism
 The
Industrial Revolution
– Industrialized nations took control of
less developed nations
 To gain raw materials for industry
– Cotton, coal, metals, etc.
 To gain markets for goods
– Manufactured goods could be sold in the
colonies
Political and Social
Origins of Imperialism
 Nationalism
 Competition between industrial nations led to
a race for overseas empires
 The “White Man’s Burden”
 Many believed it was their duty to “civilize”
people of other nations by introducing
Christianity and Western culture
 Social Darwinism
 Many claimed it was natural for “the weak to
be taken over by the strong”
Major Imperial Powers
Great Britain
 France
 Germany
 Russia
 The United States
 Japan

Imperialized Areas
 Powerful
industrial nations
established empires in:
–Africa
–Asia
–Oceania (Australia, New Zealand,
and surrounding islands)
Cultural Reasons

Prove superiority
 Social
Darwinism--Many claimed it
was natural for “the weak to be
taken over by the strong”
 The “White Man’s Burden”
 Many believed it was their duty to “civilize”
people of other nations by introducing
Christianity and Western culture
Religious
 Spread Christianity
Military

Gain strategic areas, gain military power
Imperialism in 1914
Europeans
Colonize Africa
The Scramble
for Africa
 During
the late 1800s Europeans
began exploring the interior parts of
Africa
 By the 1880s, European nations were
racing to colonize African lands
The Berlin Conference
 European
nations met in Berlin,
Germany to settle arguments over
African lands
 European powers divided all of Africa
(except Ethiopia and Liberia) and
drew up new borders
– Did not consider ethnic or language
differences of African tribes
– Africans had no say in the decisions
The British Empire (1920s)
“The Sun never sets on the British Empire”
The United States’ Empire (1900)

The Spanish-American War (1898)
Causes
– U.S. wanted to help Cuba win independence from Spain
 U.S. had economic interests in Cuba
 U.S. saw Spain’s control of Cuba as a test of the Monroe Doctrine
– Monroe Doctrine: stated that the Americas were off limits to further
European colonization
– U.S. wanted to build an empire
 U.S. needed raw materials and markets for its goods
 Strong nationalism
– Americans wanted their nation to be powerful, wealthy, and competitive
with the European powers
– U.S. newspapers blamed Spain for explosion of USS Maine

Effects
– U.S. quickly defeated Spain and became a world power
– U.S. acquired Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam
 U.S. temporarily occupied Cuba and set up a military government
 Cuba and the Philippines eventually gained independence
Intervention in Latin America

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
– Declared the U.S. as the police power of the
Western Hemisphere
– Established U.S. “economic imperialism”
throughout Latin America

Panama
– U.S. supported Panama’s independence from
Colombia in exchange for the right to build and
control the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
Japanese Empire (1905)
Japan Opens Up
 Since
the 1600’s, Japan had practiced
a policy of isolationism, in which it
cut itself off from the outside world
 In the 1850’s, the United States Navy
forced Japan to open its ports to
trade
Japanese Imperialism

Modernized economy and military
– Japan built factories and needed raw materials to
make manufactured goods
– Japan quickly built a modern navy

War with China
– Japan and China competed for trading rights in Korea
– Japan defeated China and took control of Korea and
Manchuria

Russo-Japanese War
– Russia tried to step in and take control of Korea and
Manchuria
– Japan defeated Russia and became a world power
Resistance
to Imperialism
Resistance to Imperialism

Natives of Africa, Asia, and Oceania
– Liked improvements made by imperialist
rulers
 roads, railroads, schools, peace, etc.
– Disliked the way they were treated by rulers
 Wanted to rule themselves
 Disliked racism of imperialist nations
 Felt foreign culture was being forced on them
– Sometimes fought against imperialism
 Most natives were easily defeated
– Industrialized nations were more united and had better
weapons and technology
 Some natives put up fierce resistance
South Africa
Europeans in South Africa
 The
Dutch established a colony in
South Africa
 After defeating the Dutch in a
war, Great Britain took control of
South Africa
The Zulu War
 The
British and the Zulus (a native tribe
of Southern Africa) fought a war over land
 The Zulus put up fierce resistance and
won a major battle even though they
were fighting with spears against guns
 Eventually the British overwhelmed and
defeated the Zulus and took control of
their lands
India
“The Jewel of the Crown” for the British Empire
British India

The British East India Company
was given permission by the British
government to run the colony of
India
– Indian soldiers called Sepoys were
hired by the East India Company to
protect their business
 Most Sepoys were Muslim or Hindu
Indians did not have same rights as
British
 Many British looked down on Indians
because of their race

The Sepoy Rebellion

Sepoys were ordered to use rifle
cartridge that was rumored to be
greased with cow and pig fat
– They refused to follow orders and were
being thrown in jail
 Hindus believe cows are sacred animals
 Muslims believe pigs are unclean

Sepoys rioted and captured part of India
– It took over 1 year for the British to regain
control
Sepoy Rebellion

Results:
– Rebellion was unsuccessful
– British government took full control of India
– Indian nationalism and desire for
independence grew
– British mistreatment Indians grew
China
China
In the early 1900’s China’s government
was very weak and could not keep other
countries from taking control of its ports
 Open Door Policy: the policy of allowing
all nations access to trade in China

– Foreign countries controlled trade and had a
great deal of influence in China
– Missionaries spread Christianity to Chinese
The Boxer Rebellion
Righteous and Harmonious Fists: a group of
Chinese warriors (called “Boxers” by Europeans)
who wanted to end foreign influence and the
spread of Christianity in China
 Boxers attacked Chinese Christians and foreigners

– Several nations sent soldiers to protect their interests
– The foreigners defeated the Boxers

Results
– Foreign powers gained even more control of China
– Growth in Chinese nationalism
The End

Special thanks to:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/1907powr.htm
http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/empire
s/0053.html
Google Images (contributions from various artists)
Created by Ben Bindewald